Reaction game



sePt- 5, 1967 I M. l. GLASS ETAL 3,339,921

` REACTION GAME Filed sept. ls, 1964 United States Patent O 3,339,921 REACTION GAME Marvin I. Glass, Henry Stan, and Dalia E. Ancevicius, Chicago, and Michael W. Furuta, Fox River Grove, Ill., assignors to Marvin Glass & Associates, Chicago, Ill., a partnership Filed Sept. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 394,149 3 Claims. (Cl. 273-1) The present invention relates to a game and is particularly directed to a game involving a plurality of playing cards and a device which is operated by the players in conjunction with the playing of the cards.

It is the primary object of the invention to provide a card game which requires constant alertness on the part of the players and which game includes a device for positively indicating the degree of alterness of the various players. More particularly, there is provided a center piece for the game which includes a lever facing each of the players for manipulation by the players when'a given combination of cards has been collected by a player. At such time, the last player to strike his lever is penalized. In this way the players are kept in a constant state of alert during the playing of the game.

The preferred embodiment of the invention includes the apparatus described in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings in which,

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the center piece for the game and illustrates some of the cards used in the game,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the center piece with portions thereof broken away and in section to more clearly illustrate the structural details and,

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view similar to FIGURE 2, with portions of the center piece having been moved to different positions.

As illustrated in FIGURE l, the preferred embodiment of the game includes the center piece 4 comprising a base frame structure 6, a plurality of operating levers 8 disposed at 9() degrees with respect to each other, and numbered tabs 10 movably supported on a raised central portion of the base frame structure with each tab generally aligned with one of the operating levers. The central tabs 10 are normally disposed in a generally vertical position and the operating levers 8 are normally disposed in yan upwardly inclined position, as seen in FIGURE 2. Each of the operating levers is suitably connected with the adjacent one of the central tabs, so that downward movement of an operating lever 8 effects downward movement of the associated tab 10 to a generally horizontal position, as indicated in FIGURE 3.

More particularly, the base frame structure 6, which is preferably molded of plastic but may be of any other suitable material, comprises a housing having side wall portions 12 and a generally flat top surface. In the illustrated embodiment, the side wall portions of the housing are curved and formed to provide four extended corner portions which are disposed generally at right angles with respect to each other. The corner portions are slotted, as indicated at 14, and each includes a transverse pin or dowel 16 fixed to the side walls in transverse relation to the slotted openings and in position for supporting an intermediate portion for each of the operating levers.

Each operating lever 8 comprises a generally elongated member having a hole 18 at an intermediate portion thereon engaging the transverse dowel 16 on the base frame. The outwardly projecting end portion of the lever includes a flat surface portion 20 in the shape of a hand and bearing a number on the upper surface. The inner end portion of each lever, which projects into the interior of the base frame 6 includes a recess or groove 22. The inner and outer end portions of the lever are angularly ice disposed with respect to each other, and each lever is biased into the elevated position seen in FIGURE 2 by suitable means, such as a coil spring 24 which is connected between the inner end portion of the lever and the adjacent side wall portion 26 of the base frame housing. The inner end portion of each lever is connected to one of the numbered tabs 10 by means of a pin or dowel 28 on one end of the tab which is pivotally received in the groove 22 on the inner end of the operating lever 8. Each tab 10 is pivotally mounted on the base frame by means of a pair of projecting dowels 30 which are received in vertically slotted portions 32 of the base frame.

Thus it is seen that downward movement of the outer end of each of the -operating levers 8, from the elevated position seen in FIGURE 2, causes downward swinging movement of the associated tab 10 to a generally horizontal position as seen in FIGURE 3. The slotted pivotal mountings for the numbered tabs not only assure easy movement of the tabs to the horizontal position wherein they are arranged in superposed relation, but also provides sulicient -relative movement of the tabs and levers to avoid any binding of the parts should two or more of the operating levers be simultaneously depressed.

The game also includes a set of playing cards 34 and in a preferred embodiment of the game there is provided 4l cards in the deck. There are four cards similarly numbered from o-ne to ten, each including a hand or hands with extended fingers corresponding in number to the number on the cards, and a joker card. Each player is dealt a predetermined number of cards, say four in number, and the remainder of the cards are placed on the table face down. Each player in turn draws one card from the deck on the table and if he has a pair of similarly numbered cards he is entitled to strike the operating lever 8 which has been assigned to his playing position. At such time, each of the other players must also strike their operating lever and the last one to do so forfeits one of the cards in his hand to the initial player holding the pair of cards. Due to the fact that the center tabs 10 are numbered to correspond to the number on the operating levers 8, it is simple to determine which player was the last to strike his operating lever since his number will appear on the top of the four depressed tabs in the center. As each player accumulates a pair of the numbered cards, he places it on the table in front of him and play is continued until all of the cards in the deck have been drawn. At such time the player havin-g the highest number of points, as determined by the pairs he has accumulated, minus any cards he may still have in his hand, is the winner of the game.

Obviously variations may be made in the playing rules of the game without departing from the principles of this invention. For example, a player may be permitted to fake a movement to strike his operating lever and if one or more other players strike their lever they may have to forfeit one of the cards in their hand either to the player on the left or to the player who faked the action but in fact did not touch his operating lever. Furthermore, although the center device for the game has been illustrated and described with respect to particular structure, it will be apparent that variations may be made in such device without departing from the principles of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Game apparatus comprising a supporting frame structure, a plurality of levers mounted on said frame for pivotal movement relative to said frame in a generally vertical direction, a plurality of indicating means mounted on said frame for pivotal movement between elevated spaced-apart positions and positions wherein the indicating means are in superposed relation to each other, means connecting each of said levers with one of said indicating means, similar indicia on each connected pair of lever and indicating means to signify which indicating means is connected with a particular lever, spring means biasing each of said levers and its associated indicating means into an elevated position, and means for mounting each indicating means on said frame comprising a pin and slot connection affording both pivotal and vertical movement of the indicating means, whereby downward movement of a lever results in movement of the associated indicating means to a generally horizontal position and movement of a plurality of the levers causes movement of the associated indicating means to said superposed position with later moved ones overlying earlier moved indicating means.

2. Game apparatus comprising a supporting frame structure including four corner portions disposed at right angles with respect to one another, a plurality of levers mounted on each of the corners of said frame for pivotal movement relative to said frame in a generally vertical direction, a plurality of indicating means mounted on the central portion of said frame for pivotal movement between generally vertical, spaced-apart positions and generally horizontal positions wherein the indicating means are in superposed relation to each other, means operably connecting each of said levers with one of said indicating means so that movement of a lever produces movement of the associated indicating means, similar indicia on each connected pair of levers and indicating means to visibly signify which indicating means is connected with a particular lever, spring means interconnected between said frame and an end portion of each lever thereby biasing each of said levers and its associated indicating means into an elevated position, and mounting means for each indicating means comprising a pin and slot connection arranged to provide both pivotal and vertical movement of the indicating means, whereby downward movement of a lever results in movement of the associated indicating means to a generally horizontal position and movement of a plurality of the levers causes movement of the associated indicating means to said superposed position with later moved ones overlying earlier moved indicating means.

3. Game apparatus comprising a plurality of cards arranged in sets of four similarly marked cards each, an operable center piece for operation by a player having a pair of said similarly marked cards, said center piece comprising a supporting frame structure, a plurality of levers mounted on said frame for pivotal movement relative to said frame in a generally vertical direction, a plurality of indicating means mounted on said frame for pivotal movement between elevated spaced-apart positions and positions wherein the indicating means are in superposed relation to each other, means connecting each of said levers with one of said indicating means, separate indicia on each pair of levers and indicating means to positively signify which indicating means is connected with a particular lever, spring means biasing each of said levers and its associated indicating means into an elevated position, and means mounting each indicating means on said frame comprising a pin and slot connection affording both pivotal and vertical movement of the indicating means, whereby downward movement of a lever results in movement of the associated indicating means to a generally horizontal position and movement of a plurality of the levers causes movement of the associated indicating means to said superposed positions with later moved ones overlying earlier moved indicating means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,008,713 l1/l96l Johnson 273-1 3,204,956 9/1965 Ames 273-1 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,283,973 1/1962 France.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Prilnaly Examiner.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Examiner.

S. NATTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. GAME APPARATUS COMPRISING A SUPPORTING FRAME STRUCTURE, A PLURALITY OF LEVERS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID FRAME IN A GENERALLY VERTICAL DIRECTION, A PLURALITY OF INDICATING MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN ELEVATED SPACED-APART POSITIONS AND POSITIONS WHEREIN THE INDICATING MEANS ARE IN SUPERPOSED RELATION TO EACH OTHER, MEANS CONNECTING EACH OF SAID LEVERS WITH ONE OF SAID INDICATING MEANS, SIMILAR INDICIA ON EACH CONNECTED PAIR OF LEVER AND INDICATING MEANS TO SIGNIFY WHICH INDICATING MEANS IS CONNECTED WITH A PARTICULAR LEVER, SPRING MEANS BIASING EACH OF SAID LEVERS AND ITS ASSOCIATED INDICATING MEANS INTO AN ELEVATED POSITION, AND MEANS FOR MOUNTING EACH INDICATING MEANS ON SAID FRAME COMPRISING A PIN AND SLOT CONNECTION AFFORDING BOTH PIVOTAL AND VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF THE INDICATING MEANS, WHEREBY DOWNWARD MOVEMENT OF A LEVER RESULTS IN MOVEMENT OF THE ASSOCIATED INDICATING MEANS TO A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL POSITION AND MOVEMENT OF A PLURALITY OF THE LEVERS CAUSES MOVEMENT OF THE ASSOCIATED INDICATING MEANS TO SAID SUPERPOSED POSITION WITH LATER MOVED ONES OVERLYING EARLIER MOVED INDICATING MEANS. 